Bailey, Reds beat Brewers 9-1

Bailey allowed one run and three hits in eight innings, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Brewers 9-1 on Sunday.

Bailey (8-10) won his third straight decision by beating a team that has given him trouble in the past. He improved his career mark against Milwaukee to 2-7 in 14 starts with his first win in three starts against the Brewers this season.

“For some reason this team has usually done pretty well against me,” Bailey said. “I never really thought about it, so I just kind of went out there and tried to pitch a little bit.”

He did more than a little bit against the Brewers, thanks to good fastball location and a tough curveball.

“He’s got incredible stuff,” Brewers second baseman Scooter Gennett said. “He was getting ahead for the most part. When guys with good stuff get ahead, it makes it that much harder.”

Gennett’s double in the second, and Khris Davis’ solo shot in the fifth and infield single in the seventh were the only hits for the Brewers.

“We didn’t have that timely hit,” Gennett said. “He was down for the most part, in and out of the zone, working in and out of the zone with pretty much all of his offspeed pitches, which makes it quite tough to hit.”

Bailey walked one and struck out eight, including Juan Francisco three times.

“Since we have seen these guys so many times, I am starting to get a better feel for them,” Bailey said after earning his first win at Miller Park.

Bailey had been 0-3 in five career starts in Milwaukee.

The Reds, who lost 2-0 on Saturday night, batted around in the second inning as an erratic Wily Peralta (8-13) allowed five runs. Cincinnati sent 10 men to the plate in the fifth and tacked on four more runs.

“You play for the big inning, and if not, you play for one,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “To get big innings like that is huge.”

The victory sent the Reds back to Cincinnati with a successful seven-game road trip. They swept a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs before heading to Milwaukee.

“Main thing, we had a pretty good road trip, 5-2,” Baker said. “We will be happy with what we got.”

Peralta gave up singles to the first four batters, capped by Ryan Hanigan’s two-run hit. A walk to Shin-Soo Choo loaded the bases for Joey Votto, and a passed ball added another run.

The Brewers walked Votto intentionally and set up Peralta to face Brandon Phillips, who was 1-12 against the right-hander. Phillips’ two-run single foiled the move and gave Bailey a 5-0 lead in the second.

Peralta settled down for the next two innings, but walked Phillips to start the fifth. He advanced on a wild pitch and took third on a fly ball to the warning track in right. Chris Heisey ended Peralta’s 26th start of the season with a run-scoring single.

Peralta seemed puzzled trying to explain his inconsistency.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Today was a tough day. I’ve got to figure out a better command with the fastball. I didn’t have that much command of my pitches.”

Tyler Thornburg took over, but struggled just as much as Peralta. The Reds batted around for the second time and capitalized on Thornburg’s wildness. He issued four walks, including two with the bases loaded, and allowed a run-scoring single to Hanigan, who had two hits and three RBIs.

Alfredo Simon pitched the ninth for the Reds.

Bailey struggled a bit after throwing his second-career no-hitter with a 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on July 2. He lost the next four starts, but turned it around with two consecutive wins.

Peralta was totally unlike the last time he faced the Reds at Miller Park. In what might have been the best start of his first full season in the majors, he threw a three-hitter on July 9 in Milwaukee’s 2-0 win.

But he allowed seven runs and eight hits, walked four and struck out four over 4 1-3 innings on Sunday. He slipped to 1-3 in four starts this season against the Reds.

“Last start we faced him, we did well against him,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said of Bailey. “He’s got great stuff, and he’s the same thing as Wily. When he’s got command, and he (Bailey) had command of all his pitches, he’s going to be very difficult to hit.”

NOTES: All 10 of Cincinnati’s hits were singles. … Brewers All-Star center fielder Carlos Gomez missed his third consecutive game with a sprained right knee. He was on the field for several drills and long toss before Sunday’s game. He is listed as day-to-day after being injured making a twisting catch while colliding with the wall during Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Cincinnati. … Thornburg allowed two runs on one hit with five walks and one strikeout in 1 2-3 innings. … Jay Bruce started the Reds’ five-run second inning with a single and ended it by fouling out to third. … Choo was on base five times with two singles and three walks. … Reds RHP Bronson Arroyo (11-9) faces Diamondbacks RHP Randall Delgado (4-3) on Monday as Cincinnati opens a four-game series with Arizona at Great American Ball Park. … Brewers RHP Marco Estrada (5-4) and Cardinals RHP Shelby Miller (11-8) open a three-game series as St. Louis visits Milwaukee.

Brewers 2, Reds 0

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Yovani Gallardo gave up three hits in 6 1/3 innings and Logan Schafer had a two-run double to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 2-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

Gallardo (9-9), who came off the disabled list Friday, struck out three to lead Milwaukee to its second straight win over the Reds.

Gallardo did not give up a hit until the fourth inning when Brandon Phillips singled after Joey Votto walked. But Phillips was caught in a rundown after the ball got away from Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy.

The Reds threatened to score in the seventh inning as Gallardo gave up a one-out single to Phillips. Gallardo was replaced by Brandon Kintzler, who gave up consecutive singles to Jay Bruce and Ryan Ludwick. But Kintzler got pinch hitter Xavier Paul to ground into a double play to end the inning.

Kintzler pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Jim Henderson struck out the side in the ninth for his 18th save in 21 chances.

Free pizza

CINCINNATI (AP) — There likely will soon be some 20-game winners at the Cincinnati Reds’ ballpark: pizza-loving fans.

A local restaurant chain’s promotion tied to opponent strikeouts has seen Reds pitchers hitting the winning total of 11 whiffs in 19 home games. LaRosa’s Pizzerias has redeemed game tickets for 190,000 free small pizzas, with nearly two dozen home games left. That’s at least a half-million dollars’ worth of pizza.

Most of the privately held chain’s franchise operators agree that the promotion has been a success, despite the higher-than-expected giveaway total, Pete Buscani, executive vice president for LaRosa’s marketing, said Monday as the Reds began a weeklong homestand. He said customers come in smiling, and often order other items.

“Even some of the most cynical (franchise operators) agree this is the best thing we’ve done in a long, long time,” Buscani said.

Based on past seasons, LaRosa’s projected 13 free-pizza games. This was the second year for the promotion for the 64-restaurant company.

But the Reds have several starting pitchers who record a lot of strikeouts, backed by a bullpen featuring closer Aroldis Chapman, who can throw 100 mph. The Reds promote “pizza for strikeouts” on the Great American Ball Park scoreboard, and fans begin buzzing as the strikeout total nears 11, then chant and cheer when it’s recorded.

Some Reds fans have grumbled about cheers for free pizza during losses, such as in a recent trouncing by archrival St. Louis in which Reds pitchers gave up 13 runs while combining for 13 strikeouts.

Buscani said there has been discussion about that issue, but it was decided “it’s going to be a real downer for fans who aren’t purists to get to 11 strikeouts and then not get the pizza if the Reds lose.”

The Reds have a young pitching staff, so LaRosa’s is considering the potential for giving away many more pizzas in seasons to come.

“Let’s just get through the season, and then let’s see if we make any changes,” Buscani said.